Alicia Roanne Witt (born August 21, 1975[1]) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and pianist. Witt first came to fame as a child actress after being discovered by David Lynch, who cast her as Alia Atreides in his film Dune (1984) and in a guest role in his television series Twin Peaks (1990).

Witt's discovery by Lynch led to his casting of the "flame-haired" child in the movie Dune (1984)[1] as Paul Atreides's sister Alia; she turned eight during filming. She worked with Lynch again when she appeared in an episode of Twin Peaks,[1] playing the younger sister of Lara Flynn Boyle's character Donna.

These experiences led to Witt's having small parts in Mike Figgis's Liebestraum (1991), in which her brother Ian also appears, the Gen-X drama Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993), and the TV movie The Disappearance of Vonnie (1994). In 1994, Witt landed her first lead role in a film, playing a disturbed, murderous teenager in Fun,[1] and receiving the Special Jury Recognition Award at the Sundance Festival. Witt was then cast in the "desultory" Four Rooms,[1] as Madonna's lover in the episode, "The Missing Ingredient".

Witt appeared as the character Elaine Clayton in Cowgirls n' Angels (2012),[1] and in 2013 co-starred in the independent film Cold Turkey opposite Peter Bogdanovich and Cheryl Hines; there, she additionally performed an original musical piece over the end credits (see below). Her dramatic performance in this film was critically acclaimed,[10][11] with New York Magazine's David Edelstein proclaiming her turn one of the top performances of 2013.[12] Witt also appeared in three Christmas films in 2013: the feature film Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas, A Snow Globe Christmas for Lifetime Channel, and A Very Merry Mix-Up for Hallmark Channel, and in 2014 Hallmark Channel's Christmas at Cartwright's.

Also in 2014, Witt appeared in a major guest starring role on the DirecTV series Kingdom,[13] which aired that October. Witt was a regular part of the cast of Justified in Season 5, which began airing in January 2014.[14] In April 2016, Witt appeared in two episodes of the hit series The Walking Dead;[15] the same month, it was announced that she would also be reprising her role as Gersten Hayward in the 2017 Twin Peaks series.[16]

Responses to her 2006 stage portrayal of Abigail Piano/Forte included recognition of her skill as an "outstanding pianist" of "formidable skill".[23]

In 2009, Witt released her self-titled extended play album,[24] followed by Live At Rockwood in 2012[25] and Revisionary History in 2015.[26] In 2013, Witt and Ben Folds performed a song they had co-written on the soundtrack for the independent film Cold Turkey.[27]

In 2016, Witt joined the cast of ABC's Nashville in a recurring capacity playing established country singer Autumn Chase. Witt will perform several songs throughout season 4.

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On June 14, 2004, Witt modeled what is believed to be the most expensive hat ever made, for Christie's auction house in London. The Chapeau d'Amour, designed by Louis Mariette, is valued at $2.7 million (US) and is encrusted in diamonds.[28][29] In September 1990, Witt competed on Wheel of Fortune.[30]